New Lights Volume 1
by Legend Atticus
Summary: When the X-men undergo some changes, a new team steps it up...and finds more challenges than they bargained for. But when the Jester targets the team, who can they trust? Themselves? Not with a traitor in their midst... Completed!
1. What if

Professor X was dead.  
  
The news swept through the Institute like wildfire. He was simply lying peacefully in his bed. Not breathing. With his eyes open. His glassy, unfocused eyes, staring blankly up at whomever came to see whether the rumors were true.  
  
Shadow Cat wept quietly in her room, Nightcrawler disappeared, Wolverine went into the nearby woods, Cyclops comforted Jean Grey, Jean Grey sat dumbly in disbelief. Gambit stalked the halls, Beast hid himself away in his lab, Archangel flew off somewhere, Psylocke pretended it never happened, Jubilee went back to sleep, Marrow gazed out her window. Everyone tried to cope in their own way, but they all knew that without the Professor, everything was going to crumble.  
  
In the next few months, the Institute was made government property. Cyclops tried to take the place of the Professor, but despite his most valiant efforts, he couldn't fill his shoes. After just a few weeks, Cyclops had a nervous breakdown.  
  
Cyclops had to take a vacation from the stress, and naturally Jean accompanied him. The X-Men were leaderless, and had lost their home. Things looked dismal. Storm took over, but lacked complete control. Gambit left, Marrow turned to freelance work, Psylocke became an assassin. Wolverine and Bishop continued their own battles as a team of two, and Beast retired from fighting altogether, sticking with his scientific work. Rogue left to follow Gambit, wherever he went, and Archangel tried to hook up with X-Factor.  
  
Even though the team was essentially disbanded, they all had one last uniting goal: to discover who had killed the Professor. Beast's autopsy resulted in more new questions than answers, and there was little other evidence to be found. The entire question began to fade, though, as life continued it's inexorable pace into the future.  
  
Storm had become the leader of a team with no teammates. The X-Men were no more. 


	2. What Happens Next

TWO YEARS LATER:  
  
A tall man, about thirty or so, opens the door. Noiselessly, he walks into the abandoned warehouse, his tan trench coat swinging behind him. He lifts up his sunglasses so he can see in the dark. Still, he can hardly make anything out in the poor light.  
  
His staff rests easily in his hand, but it's ready for action. He has an uneasy feeling about this. After all, he wasn't even sure who it was that he was supposed to meet here. It could be a trap. He had recently stopped Venom from utterly destroying Spider-Man, and he knew Venom would not forget that. He could well have set this up as a trap, to seek revenge…  
  
"Gambit?"  
  
A soft voice, almost like a whisper. He recognized that voice, and that name, from somewhere, long ago, in his past. Still, almost reluctantly, he sprung into action. He jumped and performed a neat back-flip. Raising his staff, he brought it to both hands.  
  
He pressed it to the person's throat, whoever it was. He was behind her, and his staff was choking her. Yes, just another few seconds, and she would be dead. Bloodlessly. He hated blood. It looked so unsightly, so amateur.  
  
But this woman wasn't about to let herself get killed. She ducked under his staff and landed a solid kick to his chest. Falling backwards, he let her help him up. They stood, for several moments, hardly able to see each other, yet still they stared. Finally, she broke the silence.  
  
"Gambit?"  
  
He shuffled uncomfortably. That name was from his past. He was no longer who he used to be. "I was he."  
  
"Was?"  
  
He reached into his coat. She tensed, but relaxed when he pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. He lit the cigarette, and she could see this was not the man she once knew. His once-beautiful face had a jagged scar across it, and his eyes no longer held that defiant twinkle she had adored. He was a new man, most certainly, but still he had a ghost of his old self hiding within his eyes. But only a ghost.  
  
"So, I see. Then who are you?"  
  
"Renegade."  
  
The chosen name did not surprise her, but she wasn't sure why. It didn't matter what he called himself. He was still the man she needed to see.  
  
"Fine. Renegade. I'm still Jubilee."  
  
The flickering light from Renegade's cigarette revealed that she was indeed. Same clothing styles, same accessories, just a slightly more mature body. And more experienced. Her eyes gave that away to easily, even in the little light provided.  
  
"So why am I here?"  
  
Jubilee considered him a good while before answering. "Because we need you."  
  
"Two questions: Who's 'we,' and why?"  
  
She smiled. "'We' is the New Lights. And why? Because we need a leader. If you're interested, of course."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because no one else can. Wolverine's dead, Bishop went back to the future. We need someone rugged. The refinements of everyone else aren't working. Someone less refined. Someone more like you."  
  
"Try the Punisher. Or Marrow. Or Thor. I'm no leader."  
  
"Thor is dead, we can't find Punisher, and Marrow's with us already. She suggested you."  
  
Renegade drew a long breath. He dropped his cigarette, smothered it under his boot. It became satisfactorily dark again. He considered.  
  
"Fine. I'm available. Now what?" 


	3. Following Through

Renegade followed Jubilee, she in her car, he on his motorcycle. It was a recent acquisition. He had long envied Wolverine's bike, and decided it was high time to get his own. So he did.  
  
When she finally stopped, she pulled into a garage that was next to an apartment building. An old, broken-down, shabby, decrepit apartment building. He recognized this place. Professor X had owned it for a time, just before his death. It was to be expanded into an off-campus housing building. That never happened.  
  
Renegade liked the building, though. It was old, sure, and broken-down, but comfortably so. At least, that's what it looked like from the small parking garage. But there was one other thing Renegade liked even more.  
  
It was right in the heart of Hell's Kitchen.  
  
"Nice place," Renegade remarked.  
  
Jubilee didn't bother to respond.  
  
She led the way up two flights of stairs, down a hall, up another flight of stairs. The doors were all open, and it was apparent no one lived here. Except, of course, for the New Lights.  
  
She showed him a door that was closed. "Your room."  
  
She waited while he dropped his single duffel bag inside of it. "Then gimme the key."  
  
She spread her arms. "No key. None of us have them."  
  
He cursed softly and followed her as she showed him another room. It was equipped with a stereo system, a TV, and all the other such essentials. It was eerily quiet, especially for a place that could easily host some nice parties.  
  
"This is our lounge. The rest of the team should be getting here quite soon."  
  
Renegade shrugged. He wandered back to his room, sat on the bad. It was hard as a rock. He rolled his eyes and laid down. He had plenty of time to kill.   
  
He fell asleep in short order… 


	4. The New Lights

"Move it."  
  
Renegade's eyes popped open, and he sat bolt upright, hands automatically reaching out for his staff. He grasped only empty air, however. His staff was still on the floor, with his duffel bag.  
  
When a devastating attack failed to strike him, however, he looked around. Obviously, it was no enemy who woke him up. But if it had been…  
  
He repressed a shudder as he followed Jubilee back out of his room. He went to the lounge, opened the door, and stared in dumb amazement. There were faces he never expected to see again, and faces he never saw in the first place.  
  
He instantly recognized Marrow, Havok, and Nightcrawler. It was almost amazing to see them all here. But there were still more. A young woman, finely built, sat comfortably on a couch that looked as though it was made of stone. He thought she looked familiar, but couldn't be sure. He saw a young man, someone he was sure he'd never seen in his life before. He was standing alone, in the corner, glaring out at everyone as though none of them were allies.  
  
"So, these are the New Lights?" Renegade looked around the room contemptuously. "Don't think much o' ya. What is this, anyway?"  
  
The room became instantly quiet. Renegade's challenge had not gone unnoticed. Not that he cared.  
  
"Yeah. Well, I'm Renegade. I'm the leader of this group o' rabble, apparently. So, what do we do first? How about you, and you-" he pointed at the two he didn't recognize. "introduce yerselves. I know the rest of ya."  
  
The girl on the couch spoke up first. "I'm Shadow, formerly Shadow Cat. Don't you remember me, Gambit?"  
  
That struck Renegade hard, as though he had been slapped in the face. He remembered Shadow cat, and she didn't look anything like her. He would've recognized her, he was sure.  
  
"I'm not Gambit." He spat out the words, making them a challenge more than a statement. "And you?"  
  
The man in the corner walked to the center of the room. He had a disdainful look on his face, one Renegade recognized as his own from the past. He couldn't like this one too much. He reminded Renegade of what he once was.  
  
"I'm Locke. Formerly Locke. And I'll be Locke from now on." He made the name a joke, as though Renegade/Gambit and Shadow/Shadow Cat were simply playing games with their identities. It annoyed Renegade, his whole cocky attitude and his icy demeaner. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was looking at himself.  
  
Renegade snorted. "So this is everyone?"  
  
Jubilee spoke up. "Not quite. We're missing Estis and Deadpool-"  
  
"Deadpool?" The name gave renegade a shock. He had always respected Deadpool, but had been careful not to show it. But Deadpool had been a mercenary, an assassin, so he thought.  
  
"Yes, Deadpool. Estis and Deadpool had to take care of some business before they came. They should get here later tonight."  
  
Renegade nodded. But still, he wasn't even sure why he was here. He had to make sure he was doing the right thing, not just having fun. Although a little fun would be a welcome change for him. "So, what do we do, anyway? What's the point of the New Lights?"  
  
Locke snorted derisively. "Our own leader doesn't know what we stand for? What is this, a joke?"  
  
Renegade stepped forward threateningly, and Locke tensed his muscles, ready for action. Marrow quickly stepped between them.   
  
"We are here to protect who we can. We no longer hold Professor X's dream of a peaceful world. We accept the wars that must be fought. It is just our job to make sure the right side wins."  
  
Gambit backed down, thinking about it. "War?"  
  
"Right now, it's between those who take things for their own good, and the rightful governement."  
  
"What's the difference?" Locke commented sourly.  
  
"I was just thinking the same thing myself," Renegade replied coolly.  
  
Marrow sighed. "It's the 'good' mutants against the 'evil' mutants, ok? Can we all accept that?"  
  
Renegade shrugged. "Good enough. What side are we on?"  
  
No one responded. Renegade shrugged again, and went back to his room. No one followed. 


	5. Coming Up

Despite his show of indifference, Renegade had already decided on several things. He liked what he saw in the team so far, especially Locke. He also liked the team's acceptance of how things were. But he wasn't convinced that they could hold their own against any real mutant bent on taking something he wanted.  
  
He sighed. The ones with the most experience, aside form himself, were Deadpool and Marrow. And he had no idea who or what the hell Estis was. Locke looked too young to know much, and everyone else he knew from personal had little experience, unless they had become hotshots in their last two years. Which he very much doubted.  
  
He needed to recruit some experience if he was to lead this "team" in any war. After hours of thinking, however, he came up with only a few names, and and they were all unlikely. Then he fell asleep…  
  
He woke early, about six in the morning. Renegade had places to be today. He went downstairs, into the garage. It was funny, he was already starting to think of the apartment building as "home," though he had spent only the better part of a day in it. He didn't stop to check whether Deadpool and Estis had arrived, he only stopped to get on his motorcycle.  
  
And then nothing would stop him.  
  
He rode quickly. He wasn't sure exactly where he was supposed to go, but he remembered something about a lawyer…Matt Murdock. That was his name. He found the office he was looking for quickly.  
  
He parked his bike on the street, went inside. The place was pretty plain, but it was open. And it was just about his only shot.  
  
There was no receptionist. He knocked on the door to the office marked "Murdock," in faded and peeling letters.   
  
"Come in."  
  
He complied, smoothly entering. He was glad he brought his staff, because this room made him uneasy. Like everything else in Hell's Kitchen, it was old and worn-out. Renegade spoke to a man who was wearing sunglasses, sitting behind a desk.  
  
"I need to see Spider-Man. He told me to come here…"  
  
The man, Murdock, smiled. Renegade noticed he was missing his left hand, but it didn't take away from his overall air of calm confidence.  
  
"Spider-Man told me if I ever needed him, I could contact you."  
  
The smile on Murdock's face turned to a frown. "Why do you need him?"  
  
Renegade hesitated. He decided to just go with the truth. "I'm the leader of a small team of mutants. He owes me a favor, and I thought perhaps his experience would help us out."  
  
"I can't speak for Spider-Man, but perhaps Daredevil would be interested."  
  
"Well, could you contact him for me, then?"  
  
"I am Daredevil."  
  
Renegade gave a start. A man with one hand was Daredevil? Someone had a sense of humor. "Um, well, are you interested?"  
  
"I'll think about it. Come back in three days."  
  
Renegade recognized this a s a dismissal. He turned and left, feeling it had gone better than he expected. Spider-Man probably wouldn't have joined anyway, but Daredevil might. Two heroes with one visit.  
  
He got back on his motorcycle. He drove around for a while, but found he was just wandering aimlessly. He made his way back to the New Lights headquarters, eventually, but had nothing to show for his efforts. It was too bad heroes had to be so damn secretive.  
  
He parked his bike in the garage, noticing the addition of a jeep in the adjacent poarking space. Interesting.  
  
He got back to his room to find Deadpool talking quietly with Havok.   
  
"What's going on in here?"  
  
Deadpool turned around, and didn't seem surprised to see Renegade. "Renegade now, is it? I was just reporting Estis's death to Havok here. Got a problem with it?"  
  
"Yes, I do. One of our team members is dead. How did he die?"  
  
"We were going to ambush Sauron."  
  
"Sauron?"  
  
"Yeah. Stupid sonofabitch didn't wait for the signal before he attacked the thing. Then Jester showed up. I was dealing with Jester, and Estis got himself drained by Sauron. I was thrown into a building, and with me outta the way, Jester killed Estis. By the time I got back to the street, no one was left except some cops. I scrambled. That was yesterday."  
  
"Great. So who's Jester?"  
  
"Some joker pretending to be a hero. He's supposed to be with the government or something, but he's playing them against themselves. Pitting everyone against each other and the government at the same time. Tryna start a war, is my guess."  
  
Renegade considered while Havok glared at him. He shrugged and turned to leave. As he reached the doorway, he turned back to Deadpool. "Put that Jester guy on our hit list. Item number one."  
  
Without waiting for an answer, he walked out the open door and back to his room. 


	6. Traitor

Nightcrawler appeared in the lounge, accompanied by a lot of smoke.   
  
"Guys!"  
  
He instantly had Deadpool's and Havok's attention.   
  
"It's Jester! I was with Jubilee, and-"  
  
Deadpool quickly him off. "Where?"  
  
"In the abandoned warehouse. She made him chase her there, so no civilians would be-"  
  
"That's all I need to know."  
  
Havok and Deadpool spun around to began the quick run to the vehicles, while Nightcrawler made ready to teleport. They were stopped midstep, however, by Renegade's appearance in the doorway.  
  
"Deadpool, don't go anywhere. Havok, instead of running down to the cars, teleport with Nightcrawler. Use you head. Deadpool, go grab Shadow and Marrow. Locke can stay here. Then hop in your jeep and haul ass."  
  
Deadpool sprinted away to follow orders while Renegade and Havok grabbed hold of Nightcrawler. In a flash of smoke, the three had disappeared, leaving the room empty again.  
  
When Havok opened his eyes, he found himself in the warehouse. He had wanted to use this as the hideout, but everyone else wanted Xavier's old apartment building. He began charging up his energy blasts, but saw no one. It was about noon, and there was ample light. Not even a sign of combat, like knocked-over boxes, was evident.  
  
"Stay sharp," was Renegade's command as he dashed outside, leaving Nightcrawler alone with Havok.  
  
"Well," Havok began. "What do you make of it?"  
  
But instead of answering, Nightcrawler pulled a knife from under his costume. He stood, completely still, for about a minute while Havok watched. Finally he spoke.  
  
"I sense death."  
  
Havok was unsettled by Nightcrawlers' calm, accepting demeanor. "Wha-"  
  
But he was cut off by Nightcrawlers' knife appearing in his stomach. Without a sound, Nightcrawler pushed it up into his chest, tearing him apart from the inside. Havok tried to fire his energy, but missed and hit the ceiling. The roof was blasted away where he hit it, and nearby sections of it began to fall.  
  
Nightcrawler grinned as Havok fell, gurgling. Blood trickled from his mouth, and Havok's vision began to cloud… 


	7. Renegade

Renegade heard a blast, and spun around to face the warehouse where Jubilee had first contacted him. He saw energy that could only have come from Havok burst through the roof. He sprinted back towards the building.  
  
Readying a playing card, the Joker, he hefted his staff. He was definitely going have fun in this battle. Too bad it had started without him.  
  
As he came in the door, a section of the roof fell right in front of him. He dove to the side to avoid being hit by the crumbling roof. He couldn't see anything for all the dust and debris, but he threw his card anyway, hoping to hit something. He heard his cards' explosion, but that generated even more smoke.  
  
He was hacking and coughing, and had dust in his eyes. He couldn't see anything at all, but was using his staff like a blind man would, feeling his way in front of him. He stumbled out the door, and fell. The dust was choking him, and it was becoming hard to breathe. Maybe he wouldn't have so much fun in this fight. He felt himself being lifted up, and his last thoughts before he fell into unconsciousness were that he hoped Havok and Nightcrawler were both faring well and that he hoped he hadn't just been picked up by an enemy. 


	8. Loner Once Again

Renegade sat up, slowly. He was back in Mr. Murdock's office, Daredevil. There was a man in a red suit, Daredevil, but he had two hands. He was with another man, but he couldn't hear what Daredevil and the other guy were saying. The room became more focused, and he groaned.  
  
Daredevil glanced over, saw Renegade trying to sit up. He administered some quick medicine to him before returning to his conversation with the man next to him. In a few moments, Renegade was himself again. He finally recognized the other man, a mutant mercenary. Random.  
  
Renegade saw his staff lying on the floor. He picked up, appreciating it's condition. It looked battered, but it was still sturdy, still ready for action. He admired his staff. It was always ready for action.  
  
Random left, and renegade watched as Daredevil took off his costume. He had a robotic left hand, and he removed it as he once more became Matt Murdock. Renegade was impressed. He was saved by a man he had only met once.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Murdock only nodded. He understood. "It seems Havok is dead."  
  
Renegade found he wasn't too surprised at the news. To him, it seemed like a new team member was dying every day or so.  
  
"Jubilee is also missing. Nightcrawler's doing badly, as well. He's all bloody and battered. Your team is crippled. Severely."  
  
Renegade groaned and cursed silently. Why did he accept the position as leader again?  
  
"If this is how your team ends up, I'm not in. Random said he'd take it under consideration. You still have no promises. Good luck."  
  
Renegade only nodded as he left. He walked back to the apartment building in a daze. He talked with Shadow and Marrow. They said Deadpool had left before they did, and by the time they reached the warehouse, there was only police.  
  
He saw Deadpool, cleaning his guns-  
  
And then it all clicked into place. Deadpool was Jester. He was the only one with Estis, the only one who was unharmed from the battle with "Jester," and he seemed to know a lot about him.  
  
Renegade lost no time confronting him. Deadpool left in disgust. Renegade regretted he had lost the only other truly experienced team member in the New Lights, but felt he made the right decision. Deadpool was a loner again. 


	9. Things Go wrong But Who Cares?

One week later, Nightcrawler was no where to be found. Marrow, Shadow, and Locke were the only people actually under Renegade's leadership. And things kept getting worse.  
  
Venom had tried to get revenge against Renegade for stopping him, but he was repelled from Hell's Kitchen by street thugs. Hundreds of them. All under the Kingpin's orders.   
  
The thugs were searching out Daredevil and the New Lights, and they were involved in combat almost daily. But this came to be routine. The worst was when Nightcrawler returned.  
  
Nightcrawler came back yesterday. There was a huge firefight, and Marrow was already injured. Renegade held off the thugs with his playing cards, but soon ran out. The Kingpin never ran out of thugs, however, and the New Lights were being forced back, on the run…  
  
Nightcrawler teleported in among the thugs. He fought like a beast, using his tail as a weapon more deadly than the twin katanas he was wielding. But soon even his heroic efforts weren't enough. Police showed up, and the thugs blew up their car. The street was littered with dead thugs and everything was covered in blood. It looked like something from a horror movie.  
  
Soon all the New Lights were backed into an alley, including Nightcrawler. It looked hopeless. Renegade was making ready to go for a last stand, and everyone else accepted his judgment with determined finality.  
  
But then things went wrong.  
  
The thugs charged before Renegade had prepared his team. Nightcrawler fell, dropping his swords. He was trampled, not quite to death. Renegade gave orders to run. Marrow couldn't run, though, and Locke was determined to stay with her.  
  
Renegade tried to fight out a path for himself, but the thugs were endless. Shadow escaped by phasing through the street, into the sewers. That's when Daredevil swooped in.  
  
Single-handedly, he took about half the thugs before anyone realized he was even there. When some hood yelled out that he was in the fight, Random charged into the side of the mass of thugs, firing away with his guns.   
  
The thugs were dying off quickly. Things seemed to be looking up. Several of the street toughs began to flee, and it seemed things would be okay.  
  
Until the evil mutants arrived.  
  
Lizard crawled out of the sewers, holding Shadow's limp form. Venom attacked Daredevil, leaping from a rooftop and nearly catching him by surprise. And Sauron tried to attack Locke, swooping out of the sky.  
  
The battle ended quickly, and disastrously. Shadow was taken prisoner, guarded by Lizard even as Lizard attacked Renegade. Locke somehow beat Sauron, turned back into a human. He tied him up, quickly, and kept him for later interrogation.  
  
But venom took over Lizard's job, attacking Renegade. Venom was clearly still bent on revenge. Daredevil tried to come to the rescue again as Random finished off the henchmen sent by Kingpin.   
  
But Lizard tore him apart. Lizard had some chemical, something green, he had spilled on Daredevil. Daredevil lost his radar abilities, and flailed about blindly. Lizard reached for him, held him with his tail.   
  
And tore his throat out.  
  
Renegade couldn't get it off his mind. Twice Daredevil saved him, and twice he had failed to give repayment of any kind. Nightcrawler was all but dead. Shadow was prisoner. Marrow was wounded. And Locke…remained a mystery. Renegade didn't know what happened to Random.   
  
But Renegade knew that he had to find out more about Locke.  
  
After talking with him, he discovered he was actually created by the government, with one purpose-to stop mutants. He was given super-human stregth, speed, and agility. But his most important power was a mutant-nullification beam. It was this ability that had stopped Sauron and allowed them to walk away with one prisoner.  
  
But all that was yesterday.  
  
Today, Renegade didn't know what to do. He eventually decided he would interrogate Sauron, in his human form.  
  
He kicked open the door to the lounge. Instead of flying open, it fell down. He didn't care. "You."  
  
Sauron looked over. A blank stare. Uncaring.  
  
"Who is the Jester?"  
  
"Who cares?"  
  
Renegade punched him. Hard. In the face. He heard bones crack, and felt warm blood. Good.  
  
"Why did you attack us yesterday?"  
  
"Jester told us to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Who cares?"  
  
Renegade didn't bother punching him again. He took out a card. Sauron's eyes bulged, but he kept his mouth shut. The card began glowing pink.  
  
"Who's Jester?"  
  
"No one."  
  
Renegade tossed the card, almost carelessly, at Sauron. It exploded, taking Sauron's head with it.  
  
He threw the body out the window and went back to his room. No clues, no plan, no team. And no escape. At least the Kingpin's thugs were off their tails now. He turned on the TV. The news was on every channel, showing the scenes he had created in the middle of the street yesterday. The blood. The dead bodies, both cops and thugs.  
  
He smashed the screen of the set in. It flicked off, spouted sparks. He needed no reminders. All was lost. 


	10. Bringing it to an End

Renegade knew only one way to clear things up. He left Locke at the apartments and took off on his bike. He had to find Random and then bring things to an end before anyone else bought it.  
  
Knowing Random couldn't have gone too far, he began searching. He checked random alleys, broken-down buildings, and rooftops. But Random wasn't anywhere to be found. After hours of searching, he checked back at Murdock's old office. He found Random there, as much to his surprise as Random's.  
  
After quickly explaining the situation, he hurried back to the apartment. A tragic sight greeted him. Marrow, near to death, Locke helping where he can.  
  
"Nightcrawler tried to murder her," Locke explained quickly. "I thought it was him from the beginning. He killed Havok, too. He teleported away when I found him. He didn't have time to kill her."  
  
Renegade needed no more urging. He left once again, with a more important mission on his mind this time.  
  
He didn't have a clue where to look. For all he knew, Nightcrawler teleported back to Germany. But he searched valiantly anyway, riding around Hell's Kitchen, searching everywhere.  
  
It wasn't too long before Nightcrawler teleported right in front of him. On the second story of an unfinished skyscraper that was being built by the Kingpin's crew.  
  
"Looking for me?" Nightcrawler held three swords, one katana in each hand, plus a rapier grasped firmly in his tail.  
  
Renegade got off his motorcycle. Grabbing his staff, he made ready for action.  
  
Nightcrawler cackled and teleported one story up, forcing Renegade to climb.  
  
"I killed Professor X, you know," Nightcrawler was saying. "I sold him to Jester."  
  
Gambit reached the first floor, then found an elevator. He got in, punched the button to take him up. He was riding to the top.  
  
"Revenge, is it? For Shadow, or Marrow? Or perhaps Estis? No, you never even met Estis. Jubilee, then? Or for getting rid of Deadpool? Perhaps the professor himself? Maybe Havok?"  
  
Nightcrawler's taunts were getting to Renegade, as much as he told himself to ignore him. Nightcrawler had an annoying way to get under your skin, and he used it indiscriminately.  
  
"Or are you just training? Maybe you like climbing buildings? Feeling stupid yet?"  
  
Renegade had had enough. "Dammit!" He hurled a card at the screen door of the elevator. The door flew outwards when the card exploded, and Nightcrawler cackled with glee.   
  
Renegade leapt out of the elevator, and began attacking Nightcrawler viciously. His staff swung in terrifying attacks, each of which Nightcrawler parried with unsettling ease. Renegade stumbled and backed up. Nightcrawler laughed again, and made ready to finish the fight.  
  
Then Renegade slipped the metal caps off the ends of his staff. Underneath, on either end, was a pointed metal head, like a spear. A double sided spear.  
  
The fight began again, each combatant attacking and parrying, thrusting and dodging, kicking leaping. Neither had much success, but Nightcrawler was wearing Renegade down.  
  
"I'm going to finish you off, too. One at a time, the New Lights will die!"  
  
Renegade increased the ferocity of his attacks, but they only wasted more and more of his energy. Both of them were putting on a spectacular show, however, and people were beginning to crowd around in the streets, each cheering for whoever they fancied.  
  
Renegade knew he was almost done for. He was moving sluggishly, his muscles screaming in pain and protest to every block, each attack. He had to end the battle soon, one way or the other. When Nightcrawler stabbed at his foot with the weapon held by his tail, Renegade saw his chance.  
  
Moving his staff in a quick circular motion, he disarmed the rapier from Nightcrawler's tail. Nightcrawler was slow to react, and in the second it took for the action to register, Renegade had stabbed him through the chest with one of the pointed ends of his staff.  
  
Nightcrawler let out an inhuman scream, and several people on the ground applauded appreciatively. He stumbled backwards, towards the edge of the building, sliding himself off the end of Renegade's staff. He dropped one of his katanas, and with the other he made a last, desperate, two-handed overhead downward chop. Rather than block, Renegade kicked Nightcrawler, just below where his staff entered Nightcrawler's chest.  
  
Nightcrawler let out another cry, softer this time, more desperate. Renegade grinned wolfishly at him, and winked. He reached into his coat, pulled out a card. Nightcrawler tried to teleport away, but he took Gambit with him since they were connected by the staff.  
  
They were on the top floor now, what would become the roof. Nightcrawler knew all was lost, and dropped his sword piteously, ready to beg for mercy. Renegade lit the card up, a two of hearts, and it glowed with pink energy.  
  
Nightcrawler's eyes rolled up into his head as he started to scream. Renegade never let him finish. The card exploded as it hit Nightcrawler, propelling what was now just a dead body outwards, through the air. It landed with a sickening thump in the street.  
  
Renegade kneeled down, exhausted. There was no way he could make it down…  
  
"Grab on, Gambit!"  
  
He looked up, surprised. Rogue was flying in the air, just above Gambit. She let down her hand, waiting for Gambit to grab on. In that moment he became Gambit again, and she forgave him. Though nothing was said, it was all understood. He gratefully grasped her hand, and she flew him back to the warehouse.  
  
He landed to see a battle already in progress. Random was attacking the Lizard, and Deadpool was fighting Venom. Locke had his hands full fighting this clown in an old-fashioned court jester suit, obviously Jester. Marrow, who appeared to be healed, fought against…Jubilee? Shadow was fighting against Rogue, when she went back to join the battle. The only being not in combat was a green, reptilian begin. It had no legs,   
  
but instead a long tail, like a snake.  
  
"Need a dance partner?" Gambit cockily asked the alien creature. It hissed back an unintelligible reply.  
  
It had a curved sword, which it used ferociously. Gambit was beginning to tire out again when suddenly, the creature dropped it's weapon and fell to the ground, unconscious. Jubilee also stumbled and fell.  
  
Gambit looked around, confused, but he soon found the answer. Locke had apparently used his anti-mutant ray against Jester. The Jester was controlling Jubilee, so whatever Gambit was fighting had to be Estis.  
  
This brought the fight to an abrupt conclusion. The Lizard was transformed into a one-armed scientist by Locke's anti-mutant ray, and Venom fled when the battle turned. Only the Jester remained in the fight, and nearly won.  
  
Jester held a scepter, which was encrusted with jewels and gold. Whenever he pushed down on a jewel, it would shoot a different beam. Random had been knocked unconscious, or perhaps killed, by one of the Jester's rays. Marrow had left the fight, and Locke was worn out.  
  
It was Rogue and Gambit against Jester. Using one of their old strategies, one they had invented back with the X-Men, Gambit distracted Jester with thrown cards. He was too tired to do anything else.  
  
Rogue, meanwhile, slipped behind jester, and took off her gloves. Placing her   
  
hands on Jester's neck, she stole his powers, energy, and memories. And then the fight was over.  
  
Jester had limited telepathy, mainly mind control powers. Using these stolen powers, Rogue blocked Jester from using them himself. Gambit threw three cards in rapid succession, and all that remained of Jester was a smoking crater.  
  
Gambit returned with the New Lights, now called the X-After, to the apartment building. Random, Rogue, Marrow, Locke, Estis, Jubilee, and Gambit. Things seemed quite anti-climatic, as there was little more for the group to do now than battle minor street punks trying to rob an innocent person.  
  
In short, the X-After controlled Hell's Kitchen. "Peace" was a loosely used term to indicate no attacks by major mutant or alien threats, and they lived in this "Peace" for another few months.  
  
Then, things got rocky again. But that's for next time...when the New Lights take a vacation...deadlier than any Jaws movie... 


End file.
